No friends. What do you do with your free time?

[Lonleyinthesun]

What do you do with your free time when you have no friends or nobody to do anything with?

Please exclude working, volunteering, kids and pets as I’m wondering what you do outside of these things.

The weather is getting better and the days are longer but I’m already struggling with things to do and I know loneliness will set in.
My child is grown and I’m single, family are often working or busy with their own lives, the couple of friends I do have live 100s of miles away and I’m finding myself at a loose end.
There’s only so much cleaning I can do, my entire house is spotless, I’ve even repainted it for something to fill my spare time.
Shopping can’t be an everything day. TV doesn’t interest me. I’ve visited all the local museums and landmarks countless times.

So what do you do as an everyday time killer or do you struggle like me?

I do have friends, and I am feeling envious of all of the wonderful things people have time for when they are not constantly out with other people! I would really like to try some of them.

I think this is more likely to be true if you at the very least have a husband or BF. If you’re like me with zero family or friends then I wouldn’t necessarily say the pros outweigh the cons if you’re wholly friendless. I’m pretty good at being resilient and just cracking on with my FT job but it does feel upsetting when on work calls people ask what everyone’s doing at the weekend, any hols etc and I just can’t join because I’m never doing anything other than being at home. I can’t lie it gets harder at Xmas, new year, summer hols etc when you have no one to even call for a friendly chat never mind actually go out with 😔

I have friends mainly through musical groups but they don't socialize beyond that so I'm in a position of having social contact for part of the year when the groups are running and not the rest of the time.
Where I live it's a bit hard to make friends beyond a superficial level because I'm an incomer to the area and people have been friends since primary school and don't let newcomers into their friendship groups.
I've made my peace with it. I see enough people through work and the musical groups when they are running and the rest of the time I really get to recharge which is what I need.

As examples of the sort of things I do, this week I am off work so I have:
Done a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle while watching netflix.
Read 3 short stories in the language I am learning.
Been out for a hike.
Been out for a shorter walk but took my book with me and lay around outside reading it with snacks for a couple of hours at a beautiful viewpoint above the river.
Watched some episodes of a TV show in the language I am learning.
Read quite a bit of a book about a bloke who skied the length of Norway.
Spent hours planning my winter holiday next year and booked the flights.
Spent an entire day researching backcountry skiing equipment and trails in Norway.
Did some planning for my summer long-distance trek in Norway.
Played piano.

Other things I do but haven't done this week are:
Build, decorate and furnish dolls' houses
Watercolour painting (I am terrible at this but I enjoy it)
Play two other instruments in addition to piano
Go out for days out to locations within a two hour drive of where I live
Do logic puzzles, killer sudoku and maths problems

I'm in London and have studied art history so I have an endless variety of galleries and changing exhibitions to visit. Also visit museum exhibitions and attractions, public art trails, do guided and self-guided walks, attend public lectures and talks, visit parks and libraries, and do art and sporty classes, try out different arts and sports for a term, dance classes and go to the gym. I don't spend much time at home during the day (I have my dcs in the evenings). At home in the evenings I do creative hobbies, photo and video editing, music practice and have done some OU courses.

Interesting thread, I do have friends that I meet occasionally for a meal out etc but like you, I am often alone.
i have been swimming a lot, trying my hand at various crafts EG candle making.
I read and watch far too much tv.
i love animals so often go to animal related events EG open days at local animal sanctuaries.
I bake when I have somebody to give things away to.
I also like to go away for weekends and explore different parts of the country.

Chat to people on Facebook.
Go out for a drive
Take dog out
Read newspaper or books
Crochet
Browse the shops in our local town

Reading, walking, yoga, gardening, listen to podcasts, cinema. If I had more time i would finally learn to play the piano and go to courses at local uni or learn a language.

I have a list of potential
art project ideas that is longer than my remaining lifespan.

I knit, crochet, sew, and am willing to try any craft once.

I like to read.

i play the ukulele, badly.

i like logic and number puzzles.

solo board games

legos

I’m never board unless I’m too sick to get up and be creative.

Crafting - crochet punch needle and latch hook particularly satisfying IMO

Find friends - pub, choir, walking group, become a regular somewhere, upholstery course, local community garden gardener, I don’t know!

Learn an instrument

Learn a language

Cycling, audio books, time spent online, writing a book

Nature walks, Gardening, painting, puzzles, reading, exploring, baking, camping trips.

Crochet, podcasts, gardening, running, music, reading, yoga, Pilates, painting (you don’t have to be artistic to do this), quilting, dressmaking, upcycling, interior design ie change the colour of a room/rearrange furniture/put shelves/art up on the walls, Duolingo, wildflower identification, bird song identification, cycling, kayaking.

I’m pretty good at this 🤣
good luck OP.

I have hardly any friends that I meet ( also no bf or husband) , when work colleagues start talking about weekend activities and ask me, I quite often lie and make things ( I leave it fairly vague though), 😂😂
I know work colleagues can be quite judgemental and that’s why I do it.

Agree though, sometimes it can get lonely, especially going on holidays on your own

I enjoy my own company Dh works away quite a lot he goes all over the world and Dd is in her 1st year at university
I have a couple of close friends who I maybe see every few weeks
Things I enjoy doing are
Reading
Listening to podcasts especially true crime / conspiracy theories /paranormal / history
Listening to music
Going to the gym / swimming
Family history
Looking around charity shops
Baking
Making lists of places I’d like to visit and researching where to stay and what to do
Theatre trips
Walking the dog

join a Meet Up and go hiking

am similar I have friends but am the only one apart from another women who doesn't have children. everyone else is great to meet up ( once planned ) but their lives are busy with children. so as a women in mid 40s who has no children and husband is self employed and works 100s a week 🤣 i do know how you feel a bit. I have dogs so often drive to a nice beach or nice park and go on a long walk. listen to music or a podcast. I take my time pottering around shops and try nice coffee shops. also exhibitions etc. I also have got used to enjoying my home reading watching telly etc. its nice

Fossil hunting.

Do you work? How much time are you looking to fill? If it’s only evenings and weekends then gym, gardening, maybe join a hobby group of something that interests you and you might make some friends?

Running, going to the gym and reading really. I’m pretty good at filling time with just faffing about.

I do have friends that I see every couple of weeks and I live with DH and the dds (dd1 is at uni but comes home randomly) though so it’s not really the same situation.

I read books, go to the library and read the papers/magazines there, go for walks and listen to audiobooks on walks, go to the gym, go swimming.

I sometimes get into crafts as well.

I do see friends too. When I didn't have friends and I decided I wanted to have some, I joined my local WI and met some great people there. Obviously not compulsory!

Cycling, sitting in the garden reading, gardening, watching a film, going for walks. I used to love going for an evening walk in the summer just as the sun was setting (I have no energy since hitting perimenopause to do anything after 7 pm these days).

I have friends but our meet ups seem to all happen at once so I seem to be a loose end a lot of the time.

And swimming. ☺️

Hiking - I am currently walking the North Downs Way in sections

Gardening

Weekends away alone - I love doing this and exploring new places

I have a list of 50 things I want to do before my next big birthday which I am working my way through

I do have friends but everyone has busy lives and I refuse to hold myself back waiting for people when there are so many things I want to do and achieve

Get an allotment.

I do have e friends but I work at weekends and have days off in the week when they are working.
If I have a couple of days off together I'll often have an overnight stay in the Lake district or occasionally wild camp.
Otherwise on days off I'll cycle, go walking in he countryside, go to city and watch films that are on main stream cinemas . Sometimes I'll have a spa day which is quite nice.
There's always something to do!
If you want company MeetUp are good for group activities with a wide range of things to choose from.